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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: arm · land · mate · drill · squash · degree · file · stand

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. land — ground
  3. file — a document
  4. drill — the tool
  5. land — to come down
  6. drill — army training
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. mate — to breed
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. degree — from a university
  13. squash — to crush
  14. drill — a practice
  15. stand — to bear
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mate — a partner
  18. degree — an amount
  19. file — a line of people
  20. squash — the sport
  21. land — a country
  22. degree — temperature
  23. mate — a friend
  24. arm — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com